In order to recover cobalt from the waste WC-Co alloys, the oxidation & acid leaching process has been studied. In the oxidation under air at various temperatures, the maximum oxidation was achieved at 900℃. For given composition of alloy, the rate of oxidation was more or less constant with the extent of reaction time but the higher the cobalt content of alloys, the faster the oxidation rate was observed. After a complete oxidation, the hardmetals were easily crushed into powder form, followed by leaching of cobalt by HC1. The rate of leaching was increased with increasing reaction temperature and also the concentration of HC1. |
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